House (& Home), Again.

It's been a long process of settling in to our new surroundings.  Between the change of country, the change of school and jobs and everything - as wonderful as it has been - there has been a sense of  the temporary throughout the process. Until now. 

Finally, half way through the year we have been moved into our more permanent house. You'll see in the pictures above that it's pretty empty... both green and neighbors, we are told, will be joining us 'soon'. Our days will slowly fill the spaces we find ourselves in and our neighbors will fill the social spaces that current exist as well. 

What the spaces have afforded us, however, is free reign to the playground down the street and rather calm biking opportunities around the neighborhood. Though we can't wait to see our new "hood" with people it we're happily enjoying the calmness that it offers.  

Bring on the next - and more permanent feeling - chapter. May it be good to us and may it provide us with care, good roots (καλοριζικο!) and a life that fills the spaces with memories worth holding on to. 

(Not so) Old Friends!

Winter break came. And with it came a surprise!  The girls knew "something" was happening but they didn't know what the specific visitor would be. So when little Sophie showed up at Eva's house it was a delight for all of them. For three full days the girls enjoying the company of good friends (as did their parents, not pictured here) as if they were still in Kuala Lumpur. But instead of walking down the KLCC park, or hanging out in Ampang, they were walking down the sidewalks of JBR and/or Arabian Ranches.  A visitor who knew these girls in their previous hangouts would have to do a double take to place the people in the location. 

But to the girls - with the exception of that first few minutes where they have to reacquaint themselves - it didn't matter where they were. In the car they sang, and giggled, and were told time and time again to "use your inside voice". In the street they held hands as if they were inseparable. There was a buzz that their unification created. It was the buzz of youth being happy. It was the buzz of enthusiastic children sharing experiences. It was the buzz of life. It was a buzz that the parents shared too, albeit with a more calm demeanor. 

Sophie. Please come back whenever and and often as you like!  And bring your parents with you!  :-)

Reconnections!

So, here we are. In our new home away from home away from home. Things are new and moving fast and furiously and both professional life and family life seems "just out of reach" with regards to normalcy.  Roads and big. Speeds and fast. Friends are a good drive away (with one exception).  But alas, there is a sense of normalcy too. What's better than good friends at least being within driving distance. Somehow, having Ralph, Anne and Maria just down the road (about an hour and a half away) makes things seem a little more familiar. The worries about the "newness" can be balanced with the old, familiar warmth of good friendship. 

On one particular weekend we headed down to Abu Dhabi to see the show Maria was in. She was one of the stars (and what a star!) in the play. We were fortunate enough to have great front row seats for it all. The girls where fixed to the show and declared it "the best" they've ever seen. At the end of the show (it was closing night) Maria came down from the stage and, rather than heading to her own mother and father, ran right up to our little ones and shared a wonderfully warm hug. They were all delighted, as were the parents. 

But it's not just that. They've been up to visit us to watch volleyball games, to go shopping, meet up for lunch, share some down time, etc. Perhaps it was some chat time over the phone. Whatever it is the small and frequent contacts make it seem like our lives are filled with the sharing that makes it worth while. 

How uniquely wonderful to have them in our lives again, on a more regular basis than the summers. And just a short (enough) drive away. We look forward to many such encounters that make life that much more meaningful and the journey that much more wonderful!  

First Tooth Out!

 

With Irini the teeth came out much earlier than with Amalia. Now six and a half Amalia has been waiting all along for her perfect little teeth to start moving around. So it was with great joy that she welcomed her wobbly tooth a could months ago. We had expected it to fall out quite a while ago and, as the adult tooth started to make its presence known the baby tooth held its ground for a long while. For a few weeks she had both, one just behind the other. But this week, finally, the baby tooth finally moved enough for Amalia to announce that she was ready for it to come out. "Will it hurt?" she asked her mommy. The answer was a negative and she decided last night that it was worth the risk to take it out and have a visit by Ratoncito Perez at night. 

For a while the two of them stood face to face in the bathroom, moving the tooth and getting ready for extraction. Mommy took her time and they chatted for a while. Finally, after around 10 minutes or so, Amalia rushed out to the living room to show daddy.... her tooth was gone and though there was some residual blood her smile was broad and her eyes glittered with joy!

Later, she wrote a little note to Ratoncito Perez explaining the situation and sealed it in a blue envelope. As night arrived and she and daddy read a book and then, with her new smiles, she bode goodnight to daddy and Irini.  It was in the depth of night that the tooth was miraculously exchanged for a small amount of cash, a gift from the Ratoncito himself. Our girl is growing up.  With a small gap between her front bottom teeth she continues to fill us with love, smiles and lots of laughter.  

New Lifestyle... Same Smiles!

We're in a new place, to be sure. Trying to figure our way around a new city, deal with new cultural elements, navigate new housing and dealing with our new surroundings has been filled with it's little bumps and wonderful opportunities.  From big roads to big malls, to the August heat (which has now, thankfully, subsided) this place is quite different from what we've been used to in the past. 

But it's also been a great chance to start new things, or continue old ones in new environments. Our new town and school has given us the opportunity to try new things... like horse back riding!  Our girls are really enjoying it and though it's much more formal than anything they've dealt with before, they are doing very well. They're starting to look like naturals on horseback!  

And then, of course, there is Halloween, which is the one event we had heard all about before we even got here. We dressed up in our new outfits and partook in five different trick or treat events, from a huge 2,600 person event at the school to several neighborhood ones (both in our own neighborhood and those of friends). The girls collected several kilos of candies and happily shared it with others. It was a wonderful series of events which, quite possibly, was the favorite of our girls in our new town. :-)

As the weeks go by and our lifestyle begins to normalize we are slowly getting our bearings as well as learning a bit more and more about this place. Uncovering the city has been rewarding and we're finding just how much this place has to offer. :-)